


Thing of Nightmares

by Indiigocats



Series: Thing of Nightmares [1]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon), Steven Universe: Future
Genre: Corrupted Gems, Mild Blood, corrupted!steven
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-06
Updated: 2019-10-22
Packaged: 2020-11-25 21:44:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20919113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Indiigocats/pseuds/Indiigocats
Summary: "Steven awoke with a scream, falling off the bed onto the floor. He was sweating and his gem was scalding hot to the touch. He rubbed his eyes frantically as the white that flooded his vision slowly faded away....he had never felt anything like this before, it all felt so real, too real."Steven struggles with all the feelings he has bottled up as he comes to realise that everyone in his life is happy except him. There's no more problems for him to solve, no more villains to thwart, the Crystal Gems have achieved their happily ever after. At least, it appears that way until Steven begins to be plagued by horrifyingly real nightmares and reports of a massive corrupted gem that wreaks havoc before vanishing just as quickly as it appeared.Inspired by novantinuum's corrupted Steven theory over on Tumblr!https://novantinuum.tumblr.com/post/188153524489/on-the-corruptedsteven-theory





	1. Chapter 1

Countless voices raised into a cheer and boomed across the beach in pure celebration. After two long years all the corrupted gems on the planet Earth had been saved. Gems of all colours and sizes crowded below the figure of the great gem temple, excited to hear the words of the one who had saved them. The beloved son of Pink Diamond, Steven Universe.

He beamed a smile at all the gems. The sight of all of them looking at him made the words catch in his throat.  
“I-I thought we would never get here! To where all those gems we lost to corruption could be back with us!”

The crowd cheered.

Steven noticed himself sweating, “Thank you, everyone that helped, uh….”

“Let’s get partying, people!” Amethyst swooped in.

The crowd cheered again as music began to blare.

Steven breathed a sigh of relief, wiping his brow, “Thanks, Amethyst.”

“No problem, dude.” Amethyst smiled, “It’s not like you to choke up, what’s gotten into you?”

“N-nothing, just excited, that’s all.”

“Good.” Amethyst punched him in the arm playfully, “Now get down there and have some fun!”

Steven smiled slightly as he watched Amethyst slide down the banister of the stairs and vanish into the crowd.  
As he looked across the crowd warmth filled him. Seeing everyone so happy how could he not be happy. Even the newly uncorrupted Sodalite and Tanzanite were getting into the festivities, they held each other close as they danced together with other gems. He felt hollow for a moment, a pit forming deep in his stomach. He shook his head, now wasn’t the time to be thinking about himself, Connie was waiting from him. Steven went down and jogged across the sand to where Connie was waiting with Greg and the other Crystal Gems.

“Steven!” Connie said happily, grabbing him into a tight hug.

Feeling her close to him made Steven feel a lot better but it wasn’t long before Peridot snatched his attention to her.

“Steeeveeeennn!” The green gem was practically vibrating with excitement.

“Please talk to her, she’s been waiting all night and I think she might explode.” Lapis teased.

“What’s this all about?” Steven smirked.

“Two words, Beta Kindergarten!”

“Elaborate, Peri.” Lapis snickered.

“Okay, okay, so I’ve been looking for the missing piece for my latest meep morp and it turns out the perfect piece has been at the Beta Kindergarten this entire time!”

“Wow, that’s amazing, I’ve been waiting forever to see your new art!” 

Peridot giggled, “Exactly! Me and Lapis are going to the Beta Kindergarten tomorrow morning to get the last piece and then you will be the first to see!”

“I’d love to.” Steven grinned.

Peridot smiled back before diving into conversation with Lapis and Bismuth. Steven frowned a little, glancing down. He looked around at the other gems as they chatted in small groups. Pearl and Greg stood alongside Garnet. The three had gotten a lot closer recently, often hanging out and jamming together as Greg taught them more about their instruments. Steven tended to stay out their way, he didn’t want to intrude on them.

Connie suddenly gave him a nudge, standing up and pulling on him, “Come on, let’s go see everyone!” she dragged him to his feet.

“Okay, okay,” Steven laughed, letting her trail him across the sand towards the huge crowd of gems.

For the rest of the night Steven stuck with Connie as they wandered the beach, talking to the Little Homeworld gems and dancing together. Near the end the pair sat together near the shore as the party died down and gems began to leave the beach. The sand was still warm from the heat of the day and the cool waves sloshed gently over the edge of the beach. Steven dozed, leaning against Connie who was still mostly awake. She stared out across the ocean.

“What’s wrong Steven?” she asked, jolting him out of light sleep.

“What? What do you mean?” he said groggily.

Connie brushed his hand with hers, “You’ve been quiet all night.”

Steven blinked, “I have?”

Connie nodded, “You can talk to me, you know that right?”

“Of course I know,” Steven said softly, “It’s just a lot to take in, everything’s good now, everyone’s happy.”

“Are you happy?”

Steven stared at her for a moment. “How could I not be?”

Connie stared back; she opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted.

“Connie!” It was Greg, “Your parents are here!”

“Coming!” Connie turned back to Steven, “Promise?”

“Promise.”

The pair stood up, said their goodbyes and Connie darted back across the beach where her parents were waiting in the car. She waved to him as they drove away and disappeared around the corner.

Steven sighed.

He was happy. How could he not be?

~

Steven opened his eyes and was met with darkness, the pale light of the moon softly illuminating the area around him. He was at the bottom of a ravine, its walls stretching far into the sky. Where on Earth was he? Looking around more he could see familiar humanoid holes unevenly dotting the surface of the ravine walls. A Kindergarten? No, he had been here before, the Beta Kindergarten. What was he doing here?  
Feeling frantic he ran along the ravine, trying to find a warp pad, he didn’t like how this place felt, something wasn’t right. He felt like he was running in circles. 

He froze at the sound of a voice, gravely and pained, 

“Steveenn….”

Jasper. 

No, impossible. He hadn’t seen Jasper since she vanished after being uncorrupted.

“Jasper?” Steven’s voice echoed loudly off the walls of the ravine. Pieces of stone crumbled and fell to the ground.

The phantom Jasper laughed, “You don’t get forgiveness from me, Steven, you don’t deserve the pleasure.”

“But I helped you! I helped everyone!” Steven cried.

“I don’t want your help! Why should I accept it?” Jasper snarled.

“B-because…” Steven didn’t know how to answer.

“Why?!”

“I want you to be happy!”

Jasper’s laugh echoed around him, shaking the very ground he was standing on.  
Steven stumbled and fell.

“Is that what’ll fix you, Steven!?” Jasper manifested from the shadows and struck him, knocking him away.

Steven hit the wall at the opposite side of the ravine, a crack shot up stone before it crumbled and collapsed around him, throwing dust up into the air.  
Steven coughed trying to pull himself upright. He summoned his shield in a flash of pink light and held it defensively.  
Jasper shot from nowhere, parting the dust cloud and colliding with him. His shield shattered like glass; the pieces appeared to glitch for a moment then vanish. She hit him again, harder this time into the air before slamming him down into the dirt. More chunks of the ravine broke apart and caved. Scattering rocks and boulders. Steven tried and failed to summon his shield again and again, panic filled every inch of him, where would Jasper come from next?

“You’re pathetic, Steven Universe.” Jasper spoke from behind him, grabbing him by the throat and lifting him to look into his eyes.

Steven trembled as he looked at her. She was half corrupted, the green patterns running up and down her body. Twisted horns curled around her face; her eyes obscured by her helmet.

“You don’t deserve to be happy.” She said darkly, her helmet vanished.

When Steven looked at her face he was struck with terror. Her eyes were an empty white, glowing with an acidic pink light that burned into him, blinding him.  
~  
Steven awoke with a scream, falling off the bed onto the floor. He was sweating and his gem was scalding hot to the touch. He rubbed his eyes frantically as the white that flooded his vision slowly faded away.  
When he realised it was a dream it calmed him a little, but he had never felt anything like this before, it all felt so real, too real. Steven looked around; he hadn’t seemed to have disturbed anyone.  
Outside, the horizon was stained with lilac and pink as the sun was slowly rising. Steven didn’t want to risk going back to sleep, he was too exhausted and terrified on top of that.  
Shaking, he pulled himself up off the floor and sat on the edge of the bed.

“It was just a nightmare.” He said softly, drawing his knees up to his chest, “Just a nightmare.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Part of the Beta Kindergarten had collapsed in on itself, the dark red-orange rock that formed the surface smashed to pieces and scattered. They were lucky that the warp pad had survived, a boulder the size of a double decker bus lay just by it. Whatever had done this was powerful and simply massive. Steven forced down the apprehension that had settled into him. This had to be a coincidence, a landslide or something? Steven struggled to make himself believe that."

The soft purple hues of dawn brightened quickly to yellow and finally the bright welcoming blue of a new day in Beach City. It was deep into summer now, meaning hundreds of tourists would flock to the coast for a little taste of a beach holiday. The hustle and bustle of the boardwalk was so loud you could hear it from the other side of the beach. 

Steven sat at the dining table, his elbows rested on the tabletop and he held his head in his hands. His temples ached while the back of his head twinged with a duller pain where he had hit his head when thrown by Jasper during his nightmare. It was funny how real the pain was, not funny like a joke but funny as in strange and confusing. Steven didn’t know how to feel. He’d had plenty of nightmares before but not like this. He knew Jasper was okay, probably off world plotting something, but she was uncorrupted. It was terrifying to see her like that again, the memories of watching her corrupt flashed in his mind and made him shudder.  
He glanced at the clock, 7am, still early but he knew the gems in Little Homeworld would be up and about. He wanted to check in on the new gems and pay a visit to Peridot and Lapis. He smiled at the thought of how excited they had been the night before.  
Standing up and pushing in the chair he grabbed his jacket and slipped it on over the t-shirt his dad had given him. Black wasn’t really his colour but Greg loved to see him wear it. He went over to the warp pad, brushing himself down and fixing his hair, his eyes still felt heavy but hopefully he didn’t look as bad as he felt. 

In a flash he was in Little Homeworld.

“Watch out Steven!” two quartz’ cried out as they raised a metal beam so it didn’t clock him on the head.

“Whoa! Sorry!” Steven ducked out of the way.

“No worries! Good morning!” The pair said in unison as they carried the beam onwards.

Little Homeworld was even more hectic than the Beach City boardwalk. Gems were everywhere, travelling here and there around the little town they had built from themselves. There was always some sort of construction going on to accommodate for all the different shapes and sizes of gems there. Buildings of all colours and types stretched to the sky but still neat and organised as gems often were. Steven walked along the busy street, gems calling out good mornings and other greetings as he passed. He headed towards what you could consider the gem equivalent of a hotel. This was where any new gems would live until Bismuth built them a home of their liking.  
Most of the newly uncorrupted gems were here, others had gone off back to Homeworld and other gem settlements. Steven always made sure that the new arrivals were happy, they were free to do whatever they wanted now, he didn’t want them to feel trapped or forgotten.

When he entered a Pearl greeted him enthusiastically, “Hi, Steven! How can I help you?” 

“Hey, Mocha are Sodalite and the others here?”

Mocha Pearl nodded, “Yes! They’re on the second floor, Bismuth said it’s almost time for them to move in!”

Steven smiled, “Okay great, just checking up on them really quick, thank you Mocha.” He waved goodbye as he went upstairs.

Mocha Pearl blushed at the gratitude, she had been here for a few months and she still wasn’t used to it.

When Steven got up to the second floor the small group of gems were gathered at the window, watching all that was going on.

“I love this place.” Tanzanite swooned, playing with her long blue hair.

“You love everywhere, Tanz.” Sodalite snorted.

“But I love, love, looooove it here the most.” She turned to smile at Sodalite, catching Steven in the corner of her eye, “Oh, Steven!” she darted over to him.

Sodalite followed, “Are you sure it’s okay for us to stay here Steven? I don’t want to get Tanzanite’s hopes up.”

“Of course,” Steven smiled, “Everyone is welcome to come and live here if they want.”

“See? I told you!” Tanzanite smiled wider.

“That’s why I came to check on you guys, how’re you feeling Ammolite? Charoite?” he looked at the other two gems.

The soft purple gem called Charoite smiled at him, “I like it here.” She spoke gently.

Ammolite glanced at him, “I’ll stay, I don’t know for how long though.” She said shortly.

Steven swallowed, “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“No. I’m just not sure, there’s nothing much that can be done.”

“Oh…okay. Well Bismuth will have everything ready for you guys soon, so you’ll be out of here in no time!”

“Yay!” Tanzanite hugged Sodalite.

Charoite bowed her head slightly, “Thank you, Steven.” She said politely.

Steven glanced at Ammolite but she was fixated on the town again.

“I’ll talk to you guys later.”

Steven went on his usual route around Little Homeworld, checking in on the construction of new buildings in the town. Bismuth had everything covered but he still liked to see anyway. Everything seemed to be going smoothly. As he walked back to the centre of the town where Lapis and Peridot lived, he heard his name being called out over the crowd. When he turned, he saw Peridot barrelling towards him on her trash can lid, Lapis not far behind.

“I thought you’d be back already?” Steven looked puzzled.

As they got closer the worry on their faces became more apparent and Steven grew concerned.

“What’s wrong?”

“The Beta Kindergarten!” Lapis exclaimed.

“It’s a wreck!” Peridot added.

Steven felt his heart drop like a stone.

~

The three of them accompanied by Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl warped into the Kindergarten. Peridot’s description had been an understatement. The place was barely recognisable. Part of the Beta Kindergarten had collapsed in on itself, the dark red-orange rock that formed the surface was smashed to pieces and scattered. They were lucky that the warp pad had survived, a boulder the size of a double decker bus lay just by it. Whatever had done this was powerful and simply massive. Steven forced down the apprehension that had settled into him. This had to be a coincidence, a landslide or something? Steven struggled to make himself believe that.

“Have you ever seen anything like this?” Amethyst asked Garnet.

Garnet shook her head, “Never.”

Even Pearl seemed terrified, “Stay close, whatever it is could still be here.” She glanced at Steven, Peridot and Lapis.

The group moved as a unit down into the ravine aided by the collapsed rocks that now formed a slope from the high walls. The others had their weapons up, ready for a fight but Steven could do nothing but stare at the walls of the ravine. Deep scars had been carved along them apparently by claws or even fangs. They had to have been at least 4 meters across.

“Check out the ground.” Amethyst gasped as they got to the bottom of the canyon.

The normally smooth bottom of the ravine had been dredged up. Huge divots stretching from where they were standing right to the far end of the canyon. Something huge had dragged itself along the canyon floor.

“Whatever it was it must’ve gotten trapped and gone berserk,” Garnet stated, “Look.” She pointed to either side of the ravine, “This creature is almost as wide as the Kindergarten itself.”

“A corrupted gem?” Peridot asked.

“Yes.”

“Impossible, that’s impossible, Garnet!” Pearl cried, “This thing would have to be huge, hundreds of times larger than your typical corrupted gem.”

“We know next to nothing about corruption, nothing is impossible.” Garnet looked at Steven.

He was still trying to keep his nerve.

“Well then where is it now? We’ll smash the thing and get’er all fixed up!” Amethyst cracked her whip.

“It’s not here.” Garnet said.

“How could it just be gone?” Pearl scoffed.

“It is.”

While the gems bickered Steven crossed the canyon and placed his hand on the stone, tracing the cracks in the rock with his fingers. _ Coincidence _ he said to himself. Whatever it was couldn't be far and he was going to prove to himself that his dreams were just dreams.

Steven glanced at his friends, “We’ll set up watch for the night, Peridot you know the Beta Kindergarten better than anyone, Lapis you’re fast and can get to us quickly in case anything happens, can you two do it?”

Peridot nodded.

“But we can’t attack it until we know what it is, don’t fight it if you do see it.”

“Right.” Lapis agreed.

Steven looked to Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl, “We need to come up with some sort of plan.”

“We can do that.” Garnet said.

“Yeah that’s why I-“

“No.” Garnet cut him off, placing a hand on his shoulder, “Pearl, Amethyst and I will come up with a plan. You need some rest.”

Steven was taken aback by this, “What?” he shrugged her off.

“Get some rest Steve-O, you looked wrecked.” Amethyst smiled.

“Don’t worry, we’ll be fine.” Pearl reassured him.

“Wh- I can still help!” Steven said defensively.

“Yes, but after some rest, go on now.” Garnet encouraged him back towards the warp pad.

Steven's words got trapped in his throat as he tried to argue again, a sharp pain in the back of his head throwing him off for a second. Maybe they were right.  
Begrudgingly, Steven climbed out of the ravine and headed for the warp pad. The raging heat of the desert vanished as he arrived back at his home in the temple. He stood on the warp pad for a moment. He felt angry, why where they treating him this way? Like he was in their way, like he was just a kid! His arms shook as he clenched his hands into fists, attempting to suppress his anger.  
The pain in the back of his head pulsated agonizingly as he stepped off the warp pad and headed to his room. His thoughts were swirling uncontrollably now. He noticed himself feeling hot, heat radiating from his gem.

How could they treat him this way after everything he’d been through? He had proved he was enough time and time again and they still felt the need to cast him aside when he was becoming a burden. Maybe they’re right, maybe they don’t need him. He’s solved all the problems the Crystal Gems have ever had. They have no use for him anymore. He worked so hard for them and this is how they repay him?

The heat was unbearable now.

Why would they do this to him? How could they? How dare they!?

A loud 'pop' in the back of his head was followed by a intense pain that shot down his spine.

He blacked out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ooooooohhhhhhhh things are happeninggg 
> 
> I'm so glad people are interested in this fic!! i didn't think it would really gain any traction qnq but here it is! the second chapter! I'm trying to bulk my writing out a bit more cause I always seem to be in a rush to get to the good part ashfdbsh so enjoy some side gems that i threw in just for fun! 
> 
> Fun fact, my first gemsona was actually a Tanzanite! I really love blue gems, Blue Diamond is best Diamond don't @ me


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connie comes to Steven's aid and after telling her everything about his nightmares she is determined to prove to him that his dreams are just dreams. However, things don't go to plan and Steven finds himself more separated from the gems than ever. Feeling isolated in his own head and refusing to share his problems, Steven's mental state takes a turn for the worse.

A crack of lightning rocked the earth. Wind carrying shards of ice and snow whipped around in the air. Two more bolts hit the ground in succession illuminating the area. A pine forest, it’s trees heavy with a thick blanket of snow that coated their bristly branches and weighed them down. The evergreens moaned in protest of the bitter winds that buffeted against them. The thunderous roar of a beast ripped through the din of the blizzard. That’s where Steven found himself.

He blinked against the freezing wind; it made his eyes water. The snow felt like it was cutting through him as the gale blasted against his skin. Steven didn’t see it but with each lightning strike it silhouetted the form of a great monster as it thrashed angrily against the storm. He shielded his face with one arm in the hopes of make out where he was. He had only been to a place like this once before. The Great North. His first mission with Connie. Another place where he had encountered Jasper. Could this be another dream?  
There was a crash behind him, the sound of the ground being torn apart and the shattering of rocks. Steven froze, barely daring to breathe. The storm appeared to hold its breath too. As he turned around, he was met with a looming figure, enormous and dark as it towered over him. He looked up at the thing, shaking all over from both the cold and the fear. Suddenly, there came a roar, could you even call it a roar? It was more like a scream.  
Steven cowered, expecting an attack. The ground shook as it moved closer, coming down towards him. It stopped just before Steven, huffing hot air over him, disturbing the freshly fallen snow on the ground. Steven hesitated for a moment and, swallowing his fear, he lifted his head. His heart clenched at the might he was met with. The creature’s eyes glowed that same acidic pink that Jasper’s had, thorn-like horns adorned its head with more that ran down it’s back. Steven stumbled back, making an attempt to scramble away. Wrong move.  
The creature roared and gave chase. No matter how much Steven ran he felt like he wasn’t getting anywhere. The blizzard blew harder as he ran, making it difficult to see. Within a few steps the monster was back on him, the shaking ground threw him off balance and he fell into the soft snow. He whipped around just as the creature reared back and lunged at him. Steven cried out as it slammed into him, throwing him into darkness, then came the feeling of falling.

“Steven!?” Connie’s voice echoed in the dark.

“Connie!” Steven called back.

He flailed around in the dark, the sound of his own heart booming in his head.

“Steven wake up!” Connie sounded desperate, “Steven, please!”

Steven opened his eyes with a gasp, sitting up so quickly that he almost threw Connie off him. 

“Oh, thank goodness you’re okay!”

Steven felt far from okay, he leaned over trying to control his breathing as his lungs burned.

Connie leaned against him, “It was just a bad dream.” She said soothingly.

“It didn’t feel like a dream.” Steven said weakly, “It was just like before.”

“Before?” Connie sat up straight.

“I had another nightmare...two nights ago, it was in the Beta Kindergarten, Jasper was there but it wasn’t her, she was still corrupted, we fought, well she smacked me around like I was nothing.”

“Wait, wait, slow down, the Beta Kindergarten? Jasper?”

Steven nodded, “It, it wasn’t right.” He stared at the floor.

“Did you tell the gems?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“They’re at the Beta Kindergarten, something wrecked it, there’s barely anything left. I want it to be a coincidence but I think-“

“You think it’s connected to your dreams?” Connie asked him.

Steven nodded, looking up at her. 

Her dark eyes were laced with worry. She forced a small smile.

“Something’s wrong, I feel...wrong.” Steven put one hand on his gem.

Connie pulled him into a hug, “Shh, its okay.” She paused, “It could have been a coincidence, but the only way to prove that is to go to the place you dreamt about last, right?”

Steven looked at her, she was right.

“Where were you? Can you remember?”

“It was snowing, cold, it must’ve been The Great North, do you remember there?”

“How could I forget?” Connie smiled before jumping to her feet, “That settles it then! Let’s go check it out!” She held out her hand for him.

Steven smiled and then took it.

Connie lead him over to the warp pad, “You’ll see, everything will be fine.” 

~

When the pair arrived, snow was now falling gently, piling up around the warp pad. It was dead quiet; any sound being absorbed by the fresh snow. At first glance the place looked perfect, like a photo on a Christmas card but as Steven and Connie ventured deeper, they realised that things weren’t a perfect as they seemed. They walked along their typical path, leaving trails in the deep snow. Steven was breathing heavily, the air escaping his mouth in a white plume that dissipated into the sky.  
Connie nudged him, pointing towards the trees. They weren’t hard to miss. The massive pines had been torn into, their trunks baring marks like those on the walls of the Beta Kindergarten. Others had been completely uprooted while some were splintered, their broken trunks sticking haphazardly out of the snow. Steven pulled away from Connie, walking faster, half-running through the deep snow.

“Steven, wait!” Connie called from behind him.

In his mind she sounded a thousand miles away. He kept going, following the path of destruction across the tundra. He soon recognised the pattern of the trees, the same trees he saw in his dream. He skidded to a stop, wheezing as his lungs struggled with the cold air. His heart felt like it was going to burst out of this throat. He stared ahead, shaking.

“Steven!” Connie cried as she caught up with him, “Why did you run off like that Steven-“Connie stopped, “Is that?”

“The wailing stone.” Steven answered.

Like the Kindergarten, it too had been shattered. Its dark rock strewn about the clearing. That must have been the sound he had heard in his dream but how did this happen? He never left his house, he was never here, not really, or was he? Steven fell onto his knees, he didn’t care about how cold it was, he could barely stand anymore, he was shaking so hard.

“Steven?” Connie rushed to his side.

Steven gripped his gem tightly, it was feeling hot again, just like when he woke up from his first nightmare, just like when he had blacked out the night before. What was wrong with him?

“Steven!” Garnet’s voice came from across the clearing.

Steven turned his head sharply; it wasn’t just her it was everyone.

“What happened?” Pearl cried out as she got closer.

Pearl’s scolding tone made Steven tense.

“The corrupted gem, was it here?” Amethyst questioned, “We saw nothing at the Beta Kindergarten, nothing the whole night!” 

She sounded frustrated, was it at him?

“How did it get all the way here?” Peridot cried.

The gems constant questions hit him again and again like a slap in the face. He didn’t know, they expected him to know.

“I don’t know!” Steven snapped, “I don’t know okay? I don’t know what happened at the Kindergarten, I don’t know what happened here and I don’t know how!” he bellowed.

The gems flinched in surprise; Connie stared at him.

“You don’t know how useless I feel! Even right now I feel alone!” 

“Steven, where is this coming from? Talk to us.” Garnet said gently.

“No!”

“You need to calm down!”

“I can’t calm down!” Steven was hyperventilating now; he cupped his hands over his temples, the pain was getting worse.

“We can help you, Steven.” Garnet placed a hand on him.

“You can’t help me! I can’t even help myself!” Steven threw himself back, slapping Garnet’s hand away.

The other gems gasped.

Steven twisted away from them and made a break for it. He needed to get out of here. Sprinting across the snow he could hear Connie cry out to him. She was the only one who chased after him.

He reached the warp pad quickly, practically throwing himself onto it. He didn’t stop when he got back to the house. Running down the stairs and out onto the beach. The world spun around him as he fell onto the sand in front of his home. His body ached all over, the pounding in his head blurring his vision. They couldn’t help him, he couldn’t tell them how he was feeling, he couldn’t be another problem for the gems.

“Steven!” Connie’s voice came from behind him, up on the balcony.

“Leave me alone!” Steven cried as he ran on to the more secluded part of the beach.

Connie still chased him until she cornered him against the wall of the cliff. Steven knelt in the sand with his back to her; his breathing ragged with panic.

“I want to be alone!” he snarled.

“I’m not leaving you, Steven!” Connie snapped back at him, “I’m here to help!”

“You, you can’t,” Steven wheezed, “help me.”

“I can, I will.”

Slowly, Steven turned to look at her.

When Connie saw his face she gasped, cupping her hands over her mouth in shock.

Steven’s eyes were glowing, glowing brightly with an acidic pink light. Blood oozed from his head where small horns were beginning to grow.

**“Help me.” **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was so excited to share this chapter with you guys! I hope your ready for whats coming next 👀👀


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Despite Connie's care and Garnet's effort to save Steven from himself, the huge corrupted gem rears its head as Steven falls apart right before their eyes. Beach City is in for a shock when one of its greatest protectors is turned against them.

Connie’s blood ran cold. She could feel the pain in his voice, the terror in his eyes. It made her heart wrench.

“St-Steven.” She breathed.

“Please, I don’t know what's happening.” Steven sobbed, “Connie, help me.”

“I, I,” Connie’s voice was just above a whisper, “I don’t know how.”

“Don’t let them see me like this, the gems, they can’t see me like this!” 

“But they might know what to do!” Connie said desperately.

“No! Everything’s fine. Everything’s fine!” Steven tried to get up, but he was overcome with pain. 

Steven lurched forward in agony, collapsing back onto the ground.

Connie rushed to his side.

Dark purple-pink patches were beginning to appear on his skin, the horns that were growing on his temples were much more prominent now and a third was pushing through the skin on his forehead. His whole body seemed to be changing as well. Claws forming on his hands and even more spikes growing along his back.

Steven stared at his hands, “What’s happening, what’s happening? I don’t know what’s happening!” 

“Steven!” The gems had caught up with them, they raced across the sand to where they were.

Steven twisted away from Connie, pushing himself across the sand into the cold stone of the cliff face, “Go away! Don’t look at me! Augh!” pain rattled through him again.

Steven wanted to run but everything hurt, right down to his bones. He hid his face in his arms. Why couldn’t they just leave him alone? All he wanted was to be left alone to fix this himself. That’s what he did, he fixed problems he didn’t cause problems.

“Garnet, what’s going on?” Pearl looked between Steven and her.

Garnet’s usual stoic appearance was faltering, her face was twisted with grief, “Connie get away from him!”

“Wait, he needs our help!” Connie pleaded.

“I don’t need their help!” Steven cried out in protest, “I don’t want their help!”

“You’re not making any sense, Steven!” Amethyst snapped.

“You don’t understand!” Steven shot back.

They couldn’t understand, how could they ever understand?

“Steven.” Garnet started to approach, “Look at me right now, Steven!” she ordered.

Steven shook his head burying it deeper into his arms, “No.”

“You will tell us what is wrong with you, right now.” Garnet stepped in between him and Connie.

“I said no!” Steven leapt to his feet, summoning a bubble and using it to push Garnet away.

Garnet stumbled back but she didn’t fall.

The gems could see what was wrong now, but they had been stunned into silence. Pearl shook, her clear blue eyes wide. Amethyst looked horrified.

Steven could barely stay on his feet, it took everything in him to maintain the bubble that encased him, it jittered and glitched unnaturally, appearing cracked in some places. Steven bared his pointed teeth, the bottom canines jutted out from his mouth “Get away, get away! GET AWAY!”  
He slammed his arms against the sand causing the bubble to explode violently. Shards of rock scattered in all directions. Connie cowered in the sand.

“Connie!” Pearl cried.

Amethyst used her whip to coil around Connie and drag her to safety.

The three stood back allowing the dust to clear. Garnet was still the closest to Steven. He was on the ground again. Steven let out a muffled wail, attempting to suppress the transformation, his whole body was shaking, the muscles moving unnaturally beneath his skin.  
The dark purple markings had spread throughout his body, razor sharp spikes had torn through his jacket and stained it red. From the ground Steven gave them a twisted glare, his eyes swallowed in blackness and his iris’ glowing pink. His expression warped between anger and despair as he forced himself to his feet, using the cliff face to support himself. Pieces of rock were still falling from it, even from where she was Garnet could see that it was becoming unstable. She needed to get Steven out of there whether he liked it or not.

“Garnet what are you doing?” Pearl questioned.

Garnet coiled back, ready to launch herself at him, “We need to restrain him, we have no choice!” 

“Wait!”

Garnet shot forward towards Steven, but she never expected him to be prepared, he moved fast, bringing up a shield to protect himself. Garnet tried to stop herself, but she collided with the shield at full force and bounced off. The impact threw Steven back into the cliff.

“Steven!” Connie screamed.

Huge chunks of rock slammed into the sand as part of the cliff collapsed. The sound was tremendous as hundreds of tonnes of stone crumbled and fell throwing sand and dust into the air, obscuring the area.  
Amethyst and Pearl protected Connie as rocks bounced and rolled past them. The collapse seemed to go on forever.  
When it had finished it took a few more moments for the dust to settle.

Connie broke away from Amethyst and Pearl and bolted straight for the piles of rocks that had been left, she dug through them desperately in search of Steven. Garnet emerged from the rubble a few feet away from her, she was muttering something to herself.

“Garnet, what’s wrong?” Pearl looked like she didn’t want to know the answer.

“I’ve messed it up, I thought I could stop it but I messed it up!” Garnet breathed, as her cracked visor vanished “I lost him.” Her three eyes were wide.

Not far from them the rocks shifted then blew apart. The four of them turned and stared, frozen by a sense of foreboding. They watched as Steven emerged from the rocks. He was completely unscathed, his eyes burning intensely. There was a snapping of bone and a sound from Steven that barely sounded human. He collapsed into a pile on the ground, his body shifting and changing. A spiked, lizard-like tail began to grow from the base of his spine. His neck and torso stretched allowing the space where a second pair of arms were growing in. All the while he was growing larger, bigger than anything the gems had ever seen.

Now was the time to retreat.

“Come on!” Garnet pulled the others along with her.

They scrambled over the rocks back towards the temple.

A crowd were beginning to gather on the beach, humans and gems alike were startled by the commotion and came to investigate. Greg was at the front of the crowd. He looked the most terrified of all. When Connie saw him, she burst into tears and ran to him.

“Hey, hey! What’s all this about?” he put an arm around her, looking to Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl for answers.

None of them had the courage to give him one.

“Where’s Steven, where’s my son?” Greg said stiffly.

Again. Silence.

“Where is h-“

Suddenly, a tremendous roar rocked the beach and silenced everyone. It was a roar that filled everyone with dread. Movement on the cliff pulled everyone’s attention and they watched on in horror as a great beast reared its head near the lighthouse. It almost resembled a dragon with its head and back adorned with pointed white horns and spikes. With its four massive arms it pulled itself over the edge and stood on top of the cliff. It seemed distressed, shaking its head and looking around wildly. Nobody on the beach dared to move. 

"Steven..." Connie whined.

Greg could hardly believe his ears, "That thing...is Steven?"

When the monster caught sight of those on the beach it stopped dead and stared, its piercing magenta eyes narrowing.

Pearl gripped Garnet tightly, her spear trembling in her other hand. Amethyst pressed herself into Pearl and Connie hid her face in Greg's shoulder.

After everything that just happened, there was one thing the gems could be certain of. This thing was on the attack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof sorry for the wait guys, I went back and changed this a couple of times while writing so it took a little longer than usual 😅 hope you enjoy this chapter! 💕


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gems are in pieces as they are faced with their biggest challenge yet. How can you bring yourself to fight against someone that you can't bare the thought of hurting?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am WAY happier with how this chapter turned out than i thought i would be ashsfbhasfhjs fight scenes are so tricky for me tbh but i am buzzing to share this with you all 💕
> 
> sorry for the wait 😋

The whole beach was silent. The only sound that disturbed the quiet was the gentle lapping of the waves and the wind moving across the sand. The warm summer air was stifled by a feeling of dread that enveloped everything. Everyone on the beach was still, they couldn’t do anything else, they were so terrified.

Greg broke the silence, “Garnet, what do we do?”

Garnet could feel herself becoming overwhelmed. Every option sprawled out before her, every mistake they could make, everything they could lose.

Ahead of them on the cliff, the creature shifted, stumbling as it moved. Its weight on the cliff edge dislodged chunks of rock and sent them plummeting to the beach.  
When the thing got to the ground it would be on them in seconds. 

Those seconds were enough.

Garnet turned to Greg, “Go! Run, get everyone to safety!” she cried.

Nobody hesitated with Garnet’s command. There was a mad dash as everyone ran from the beach.

“I don’t want to go!” Connie resisted Greg.

“It’s not safe, Connie!” Greg pulled her back.

“Connie, do as you’re told!” Garnet snapped at her.

The monster roared at the sight of those fleeing, the sudden movement spurring it into action. It leapt from the cliff to the beach. The sheer impact of it landing on the sand threw the gems off for a second.

Garnet shoved Connie and Greg to safety as the monster barrelled towards them. As she and the other gems dodged, Garnet was clipped by its horns. The force launched her away across the beach.  
It skidded to a halt and turned back towards Amethyst and Pearl, rearing back up onto its legs, it slammed its clawed hands into the ground, attempting to crush the pair of them. Again, and again it unleashed attacks and each time they dodged. 

Amethyst deflected one of its strikes, knocking it back. 

With an enraged snarl, the monster twisted and used its long, spiked tail to hit her.   
She wasn’t going down that easily. She grabbed hold of the tail as it hit her, clinging on with all she had.

Pearl looked around frantically for Garnet but there was no sign of her. She looked back at the creature that was once Steven, her Steven. She trembled, she had to fight back but how could she do that without hurting him?

“Pearl!” Amethyst pulled her out of her thoughts, “Distract him!” she called to her as the beast tried to shake her off.

“R-right!” Pearl rushed forward, aiming her spear.

It was difficult, the creature’s movements were erratic and clumsy, being made from a combination of adrenaline and pure instinct. 

Pearl spotted an opening, the hard plating on its neck, somewhere that wouldn’t hurt him. She threw her spear with pinpoint precision. 

The spear bounced pathetically off the beast’s neck, falling and sticking into the sand before dissipating. 

The monster turned towards Pearl; its eyes wild. 

The look made her heart plummet.

With a roar it charged at her. Amethyst still clung to its tail as it chased Pearl up the beach. She took the liberty of leading it away from Beach City in the pursuit.

In the commotion, Amethyst pulled herself along the tail until she reached its back. Taking a moment to catch her breath, “That’s enough running around for you!”

Her gem glowed as she summoned her whip, the longest whip that she could manage, coiling the whip around the beast’s head, she pulled sharply to throw it off balance. It fell onto its side, rolling along the sand for a few meters before stopping. While it was down, Amethyst summoned a second whip and used it to tie up its legs. 

It roared in frustration as it thrashed about on the sand. 

Pearl rushed to help Amethyst, pulling hard on the whips to keep it bound up.

“Steven! If you’re in there, please snap out of it!” Amethyst cried.

This only seemed to agitate the beast more, it twisted violently, snarling and growling.

“Where’s Garnet? We need her too!” Amethyst looked to Pearl.

“I don’t know, I can’t see her!” Pearl struggled with the whips.

The beast was struggling more and more, growing frantic as it did. The shards of crystal embedded in the whip cut into its skin. It roared in pain.

“Hold on, Pearl!” Amethyst grit her teeth.

“I can’t! We're hurting him!” Pearl cried.

Suddenly the whips snapped. Amethyst and Pearl flew back, falling hard onto the sand.

The beast was back on its feet in seconds, pieces of the whip hung from its mouth, a thick pink substance oozed through its teeth and burned into the whip, dissolving it away. 

Amethyst and Pearl stared.

“That’s not good.” Amethyst remarked.

When it growled, more of the substance seeped from its mouth and dripped from its jaw. There was a sizzling sound as it fell onto the sand, scorching it black. Slowly, it began to approach them, walking with a half limp.   
Amethyst seemed to have succeeded in limiting its movements, but wait, something was happening. The wounds on its body left by the whip were closing over, leaving a little trace of blood and nothing more. 

It was healing!

"Move it!" Amethyst pushed Pearl, spurring her into a run.

The creature lunged at them. Snapping its jaws closed just as they got away. They weren't safe yet though. The acidic substance sprayed onto the sand with a sickening sizzle, but some had managed to hit Pearl too. Catching her on the arm as she tried to get away.

With a cry she stumbled and fell.

"Pearl!" Amethyst cried out for her as she turned and ran back.

The agony was indescribable. Pearl gripped her injured hand close to her body, the substance had seeped into her, crippling her arm. She could do nothing but watch as the monster bared down on top of her. 

Amethyst still ran towards her, tears running from her eyes, "Pearl!" She called again. 

She wasn't going to make it to her in time!

Pearl's eyes were clouded with tears, "I'm sorry, Steven." She whispered, turning away.

The beast was mere inches from her when, from nowhere, Garnet appeared. She ran towards them, launching herself right for the monster.  
She landed a kick on the side of its face which stopped it in its tracks. With all her strength, she booted it away before it could bring any more harm to Pearl.

The creature made a pathetic sound as it was thrown back. Landing clumsily about 10 meters away from them. It lay motionless.

Garnet was breathing heavily; the attack took a lot out of her, but she was still standing. That's all that mattered. She rushed to Pearl's side, followed by Amethyst.

Pearl was sobbing uncontrollably. Hot, wet tears falling onto her lap. She cradled her injured arm, "Garnet." She whined.

"Shhh, I'm here, I'm sorry I should've been faster." Garnet said weakly, pulling Pearl close.

Amethyst gripped Pearl in a tight hug, her tears had stopped now. She was too shaken to cry.

"Let me see your arm." Garnet held out her hand.

With hesitation, Pearl displayed her hand for them, she bit her lip, "It hurts." She breathed.

Her physical form didn't appear damaged in any way. However, her skin had been stained a luminous pink and she was unable to move her wrist and fingers.

"I've never seen anything like this." Garnet mumbled.

"Of course we haven't, we didn't even know this could happen to Steven." Pearl said weakly.

"We have no idea what we're even dealing with." Amethyst sighed.

"We have to keep going, keep fighting, keep him away from the city. He has to tire at some point." Garnet looked at them, "We'll figure this out."

The creature stirred again. Its breath coming in ragged huffs as it strained to get up.

Garnet glanced over her shoulder and stood up, bracing for another fight. Standing her ground between the creature and Pearl and Amethyst.

It had managed to get standing but it was hunched over, letting out light whimpers as it breathed. 

Garnet's previous blow must have hurt. 

Slowly, it turned to look at them, the beast’s familiar features formed a snarl. It roared at Garnet, its magenta eyes flashing. 

Garnet stood, unfazed, she stared right back at it.

With a lower growl it began to back away, its tail whipping back and forth in anger, then it turned and ran.

“Come on!” Garnet called to Amethyst and Pearl as she ran after it.

The creature was fast, climbing up off the beach and running towards the countryside.

Garnet grit her teeth. 

It was heading straight for Little Homeworld and from the speed it was going, there was no way they were going to get close enough to stop it.   
She looked ahead towards the small gem city, hoping that someone would see them coming, hoping that they would get the chance to be more prepared.

~

Word had reached Little Homeworld fast. A giant monster? Here, in Beach City? It was absurd, but from their vantage point on the tower at Little Homeworld’s centre, Lapis, Peridot and Bismuth had seen it all. They watched as Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl fought with the thing on the beach and now it was heading straight for them.

“I don’t see Steven…” Lapis said apprehensively, looking through Peridot’s binoculars.

“Where else would he be?” Peridot looked questioningly at her.

Lapis shrugged, “I don’t know, with Greg? Connie?”

“He’s not the type to stand down from a fight.” Bismuth pointed out.

Lapis shook her head, “I have a bad feeling about this.” She wrapped her arms around herself, raising her shoulders anxiously.

“Nevermind bad feelings, Little Homeworld has been evacuated. The only gems here are us and those who want to help, we can stop that monster here.” Bismuth placed one hand on Lapis’ shoulder.

Lapis relaxed a little.

“Those three have been struggling this entire time. I don’t know what, but something’s thrown them off their game.” Bismuth continued.

“Like what?” Peridot glanced at her.

“I don’t know but I don’t want to stand here until somebody comes along and tells us.”

Lapis nodded, “Let’s go help.”

Together, the three of them headed off the tower and down towards the fields surrounding Little Homeworld. Bismuth signalled to the other gems who had remained to follow them.

They stood in the way of the beast as it ran towards them. The gems had surrounded it on all sides ready to protect their home. Down here, it looked so much more massive. They very sight of it up close struck fear deep into them.

Bismuth shook herself out of it, readying her weapon.

All three of them prepared to unleash their strongest attack, they were going to hit it hard. They were going to bring it down, right here.

“Get ready, here it comes!” Bismuth announced.

“Wait!” Garnet cried out to them.

They looked in confusion towards the reddish-purple gem as she sprinted to keep up with the monster.

When the monster spotted them, it stopped suddenly. Tearing up the soil as it skidded to a halt just before them.

Some of the gems panicked, launching various attacks towards it. When they hit, it was knocked back only slightly. 

This did nothing more than anger it.

They had all made the fatal mistake of backing it into a corner. With a scream of a roar, it pulled itself up onto its back legs, its eyes were swallowed up by a pink light, burning brighter and brighter.

Time seemed to pause for a moment. 

Like an intake of breath, the air was pulled back and then slammed into them. The beast opened its mouth and unleashed a powerful beam of blistering heat and light that rocketed by them, striking the ground and erupting into an explosive and fiery blast. The explosion swept across the field, taking out any gem in its path.

Bismuth stumbled. What was that?! 

Before she could do anything, she was hit with the shockwaves and thrown back. There was a ringing in her ears that screamed above everything else. Around her, the world faded in and out. Dark purple smoke rose from the area around her and through that smoke she saw it. 

The monster stood still as pink sparks swirled around it. Bismuth caught a glint of something on its stomach. Small compared to its body but it glowed just as brightly as its eyes. A familiar pink gemstone. Steven’s gemstone.

As Bismuth lost consciousness, the roar of the beast echoed out across the countryside, shaking the Earth to its very core.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A corrupted Steven has laid waste to the area surrounding Little Homeworld and at the sight of their injured friends the gems begin to give in to fear.

Steven opened his eyes to nothing. Just the dark, all consuming, never ending, hot and suffocating. In the distance he could hear crashing and the rumbling of the ground. He could make out voices, familiar but warped and hazy, they were calling to each other, they sounded scared. 

There was another sound, intense and constant, a single note ringing in his ears. It drowned out everything else.

Steven felt numb, pins and needles pulsated across his body. It almost felt painful.

This place felt strange, creating a hollow feeling in his stomach. The longer he spent here the more he recognised the feeling. 

Was he dreaming again? 

No. In his previous nightmares he had always found himself somewhere he had been before.

He scrunched his face in concentration. Trying to think, but the ringing in his ears didn’t allow it. Something had happened, something terrible. Was it to him or to someone else? He didn’t know.

Suddenly, the ringing got louder.

Steven looked around in panic as the ring raised into a high-pitched squeal. He covered his ears, but he couldn’t escape it. The darkness around him exploded into a blinding white; ferocious heat tearing into his stomach. It was like his gem was going to rip itself out. 

Then, just as quickly as it came, the ringing died down again and Steven was plunged into darkness once more.

Steven was doubled over, shaking and hyperventilating. He wrapped his arms tightly around his body, trying to steady himself. He looked up to the same nothingness as before. There was another rumble and a couple more distant explosions. 

He heard more voices, clearer this time, just enough so he could identify them.

He heard Pearl’s voice, raised into a painful wail as she choked out words. Garnet replied with the same fear in her voice. Amethyst was quieter but Steven knew it was her.

They were close but he couldn’t see them, he couldn’t see anything. He still couldn’t remember what happened. His heart pounded in his ears backed by the ceaseless ringing. He felt like he could vomit.

Steven screamed out into the dark. Again, and again until his throat bled; in the hopes that, somehow, they could hear him, but deep down he knew they didn’t.

~

Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl struggled to stop as the monster reared itself up onto its hindlegs. The thorn-like, crystalline spikes that ran along its back rippled and appeared to be glowing from the inside.

“Get down!” Garnet pulled Amethyst and Pearl to the ground.

The three watched on in horror as the creature unleashed a powerful beam of energy from its mouth, flashing the sky pink and baking the surrounding countryside with scalding heat. They clung to each other as the ground shook and cracked beneath them.

When it finally stopped, the air was heavy, filled with choking purple smoke. Small fires dotted the landscape, spitting pink sparks into the atmosphere. In the gloom you could hear the cries of those who had been injured.

Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl helped each other to their feet. Ahead of them, the monster stood, barely moving. It’s slow and heavy breathing was the only indication that it was still active.

“What was that? How did he do that?” Pearl cried.

“I- I don’t know.” Garnet replied.

Garnet flinched as it let out another roar. It sounded strained and weak.

The monster then dropped back onto six legs and continued to run, bypassing Little Homeworld and heading towards the safety of the hills.

Garnet wanted to follow but hesitated. She turned back towards the destruction. There was a lot of gems that had come to defend Little Homeworld, she needed to see how many were hurt.

Or worse.

Garnet shook the thought out of her head and headed towards the field.

“Garnet, wait! What about Steven!?” Pearl ran after Garnet.

“We’ll let him go for now, we need to collect ourselves. People are hurt, Pearl.” Garnet said quietly.

Garnet kept walking but Pearl stayed where she was, staring. Tears pooled in her clear blue eyes and dripped down her face, “B-but we need to help him!” she cried.

Garnet didn’t look back as she walked along the scorched grass. Some gems lay motionless on the ground, knocked unconscious by the force of the explosion and others were gathering together. Each and every one of them had sustained some sort of injury. While gems normally poofed when damaged, whatever that energy beam had been comprised of left jagged, pink burn marks across their bodies. They weren’t debilitating like Pearl’s burns on her arm and hand, but they were just as painful.

“Garnet!” Pearl called out to her again.

Garnet continued to ignore Pearl, examining the burns on some of the unconscious gems. Tracing the marks with her fingertips. She cupped her hand over her mouth, attempting to swallow the lump in her throat. She needed to stay calm.

“We’re wasting time, Garnet!” Pearl sobbed, “We need to do someth-“

“I don’t know what to do, Pearl!” Garnet snapped, leaping to her feet, “I don’t know! I don’t have a plan! I don’t even know if we can even get him back!” she was fully weeping now.

Pearl was taken aback by her outburst.

“We have to be able to get him back.” Amethyst sniffed, “There has to be a way!”

“I-I don’t know.” Garnet said weakly, “I always assumed he was okay. He never came to us about how he was feeling. I didn’t know he was hurting this much.”

“None of us did.” Pearl wiped her eyes.

“But we should have.” It felt like the weight of the entire world was on Garnet’s shoulders, “Why would he feel like he couldn’t tell us? After all this time, after everything that happened to him. I can’t even imagine how he’s feeling.” Garnet let her legs give way as she sat down in defeat.

Pearl approached slowly and sat down beside her, giving her arm a gentle squeeze. Amethyst followed suit, sitting down close to them.

“Staying here while he’s out there won’t help him.” Amethyst looked at Garnet.

“But we don’t know how to help him either.”

“He’s just like any other corrupted gem. He’s attacking because he’s scared, because he has no control over his fears.” Pearl reached forward, taking off Garnet’s visor to reveal her swollen eyes.

Garnet gripped Pearl’s hand tightly.

“He’s scared and suffering and we have to help him.” Amethyst said determinedly.

“We can’t be scared.” Pearl agreed.

“The best we can do is show him that we’re here for him.” Amethyst stood up, offering her hand to Garnet.

Garnet took her hand, standing up beside Amethyst and Pearl, “If we can calm him enough to show him that, then maybe we can bring him back.”

Amethyst and Pearl nodded.

“We have to show him that we’re by his side, no matter what.” Amethyst smiled.

Garnet smiled back, pulling the pair of them into a tight hug, “We can do this.” She breathed.

“We can do this.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We doin it dudes, we're almost at the last chapter. Expect it to be a big one ✌


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the mountains far from Beach City, Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl must go it alone if they have any hope of saving Steven and bringing him back home.

Beyond the outer edges of Beach City, away from gentle ocean, the landscape was filled with rolling hills and deep valleys. The perfect place to come and hide if you wanted to be alone. The once bright summer sky was now filled with rippling clouds, scowling a moody purple as daylight faded.

The gems trudged across the dried-out grass, following the path of shredded earth across the countryside. They had been walking for a while now and they were beginning to feel wary. The farther they travelled the more the hills rose up around them. If the creature had turned back it could attack them from anywhere.

Garnet put her hand out, gesturing Amethyst and Pearl to stop.

Ahead of them, the soil had been churned up in a frenzy of claws, deep trenches were ploughed in the dirt, criss-crossing irregularly on the surface.

“He’s close.” Garnet spoke quietly.

The three nodded and moved on.

Pearl was looking apprehensive. Her injured arm hung limply at her side, the burn was slowly but surely creeping up her arm, and it had already rendered her elbow completely immobile.

Garnet kept vigilant, glancing around at any sign of movement. As they walked the soil hardened and became rock as they approached the highest point in the area. A mountain towered above them, its jagged stone face appeared dangerous and uninviting. All around them shards of rock burst through the ground like blades, glinting in the fading light.

From here onwards there was no trail to follow, not even the strength of the creature could tear into the rock. The Crystal Gems were flying blind and the encroaching darkness of night would only make it harder for them. They treaded on regardless.

As the sun set behind them it cast long shadows up the rocky slope, creating terrifying shapes in the gloom. Amethyst slipped in close to Pearl, keeping her eyes pointed towards the ground. Already, she hated this place. Tension swamped the entire mountain, just like it had at temple. The same choking feeling that was there when they lost Steven. Amethyst clenched her jaw. It won’t be the same. We won’t lose him again.

Just then, there was a shift in the earth. A tremor, very slight but just present enough to be noticed.

The three of them stopped dead.

“You two felt that, right?” Amethyst whispered. She didn’t know why she felt the need to whisper.

Garnet and Pearl nodded.

The three of them broke into a run to make it to the top of the slope. A roar rumbled in the sky like thunder.

Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl peered over the edge of the hilltop to the valley below. Another roar came. Echoing off the side of the mountain. Steven was here, but they couldn’t see him. The valley was completely shrouded in shadow.

Garnet scanned the dark searching for something, any kind of movement, anything at all.

“There.” Pearl pointed with her good hand to the far corner of the valley where it dropped down into a small chasm.

Garnet followed her finger until she saw it. A flickering pink light from the dark illuminated the outline of the massive creature. Garnet squinted to see better. 

It milled around on the ground, twisting as it paced like a tiger in a zoo. Its movements were volatile but much slower than they had been.

Could he be tiring? Garnet thought.

It brought itself up onto its hind legs, pressing its four clawed hands into the stone, trying to find some sort of foothold to escape the chasm. The hardened stone denied it. The creature let out a pitiful wail as it slumped back to the ground.

Garnet’s heart twisted. Even from here, she could see Steven in the monstrous form. It was his voice that cried out; garbled and distorted but still his. 

Warmth filled her. Maybe getting Steven back wouldn’t be as difficult as she had once thought.

“Come on, we need to get closer.” Garnet whispered to Amethyst and Pearl as she climbed over and crept down the hill.

Amethyst and Pearl followed closely behind.

“What exactly are we going to do?” Amethyst looked to Pearl.

Pearl glanced at her, “We need to calm him before we can do anything.” She swallowed.

Amethyst tilted her head, “Easier said than done.” She looked ahead.

The trio stopped at the edge of the chasm. Looking over the edge to the creature who was laying on the ground far below them. Despite how quiet they had been, it had heard them. A low growl rumbled deep in its throat as it craned its neck to look up at them. It stood up, backing away from the wall of the chasm.

Garnet took a deep breath to keep her body from shaking. She knelt on the ground, swiping her visor away.

“Steven.” She spoke softly, “Steven it’s us, it’s me, it’s Garnet.”

It continued to back away.

“We-we’re sorry we weren’t there for you, Steven.” Pearl spoke, her voice wobbling.

“The other night, at the party on the beach, I knew something was wrong.” Amethyst swallowed, “I should’ve asked you about it, but I didn’t.” she wiped her eyes, “I’m so sorry.”

“But we’re here now,” Garnet gave a tearful smile, “Please, come back to us Steven, we’re here for you.”

Garnet swore, for a split second, there was a glint of knowing in the creature’s eyes. It vanished instantly as it lunged forward, bashing the wall with its massive head. The force vibrated though the rock, shaking the ground.

Pearl clung to Garnet as they struggled to keep their footing.

Amethyst, who was closest to the edge, slipped. She caught herself on the edge, kicking her feet in an attempt to get back up, but the rock was slippery, and she slid off, falling to the chasm below.

“Amethyst!” Garnet and Pearl cried.

Garnet pushed Pearl to safety then dove off the edge of the cliff.

Pearl scrambled over to see.

Garnet grabbed Amethyst and, summoning her gauntlet, tried to plunge her hand into the rocky wall. The rock deflected the force, throwing them to the ground.

“Look out!” Pearl screamed.

The pair of them didn’t have time to be dazed. The creature swung its tail at them. Striking the ground as they dodged. 

Garnet backed away, frantically looking for an escape route. There was none. They were trapped!

Neither Garnet nor Amethyst stood a chance against the might of the creature in such close quarters.

Garnet didn’t get a chance to even deflect it’s attacks. Again and again she took the hit as she tried to protect Amethyst.

Amethyst managed to press herself into a tight corner of the valley, just out of reach of the monster. The cold hard stone around her quaked, its sharp fragments digging into her as the creature’s movements made the ground shake.

Garnet managed to land a single hit. A direct hit straight to one of the creature’s horns, cracking it. The fracture spread out across the horn like the pattern of a broken mirror. It pulled away, taking a moment to catch it’s breath. It shook its head angrily.

Garnet heaved disjointed breaths. Her whole body ached.

The monster locked its piercing pink gaze on her. It was struggling as well, its arched back rising and falling rapidly. It was coiling up to charge again and with one last push it ran at her. Faster than she could keep up with. Using its horns, it flipped Garnet into the air before knocking her back into the wall.

The force knocked the air from her lungs. She cried out as pain jolted through her.

Before she could fall back to the ground, the monster used one clawed hand to grip on to her, pinning her against the wall. The stone dug into her body but where was no air left in her to scream.

Amethyst watched on in horror, frozen still, powerless to help.

“Garnet!” Pearl wailed as she looked around frantically for a way to get down.

Garnet managed to get a breath in, “St-Steven.” She squeaked, clutching onto its hand in a futile attempt to get it to let go.

The creature snarled, putting its head inches from Garnet’s face. Toxic, pink saliva oozed from its twisted maw, dripping on to her arms as she struggled. 

The pain was overwhelming, but she could make no sound; tears flowed weakly from her eyes. Garnet reached out a shaking hand and placed it gently on the creature’s snout. 

It blinked, cutting its growl short.

She ran her hand along the scales, tracing every bump with her fingers. 

The creature watched her; its previous aggression was replaced with curiosity. It loosened its grip slightly.

Garnet smiled sorrowfully. Drawing in a jagged breath, her words came out in a gentle, weary song, “We may not know your pain, we may not know your sorrow, but we are here, here with you.” She coughed.

Close to them, Pearl had managed to climb her way down. She gazed up, listening to Garnet’s words before joining in, “You just have to let us in, you just have to let us help.”

The creature looked down at Pearl, lifting Garnet and placing her on the ground. It shifted its eyes to Amethyst as she emerged from her hiding spot and joined Garnet and Pearl.

Together the three of them sang. “When happiness just seems so far, just out of reach. We’ll be there.” 

They each placed a hand on it.

“We’ll be there.”

The creature looked between all of them, tears built in its eyes, dripping in large globules down it’s face and splashing onto the ground. It leaned into their hands, closing its eyes.

“Steven?” Amethyst said tentatively.

It opened its eyes again in response. A recognisable shine behind them, its tears flowed faster and faster as it let out gentle sobs.

Pearls heart soared, “Oh, Steven!” she tried to wrap her arms around its massive head, Amethyst and Garnet followed suit.

The four wept together, clinging desperately to one another.

The creature gave off a soft glow as it began to get smaller. Its massive form shrank faster until it took a more human shape. Steven’s shape.

Steven fell to the ground, exhausted and still crying. The gems still refused to let go, like the universe was going to snatch him away from them.

“I’m sorry.” Steven croaked.

“No, we’re sorry.” Garnet leaned back, holding him by the shoulders and looking into his eyes, “We should have known something was wrong.”  
Steven looked away again, choking out a sob, “I just didn’t want to be a burden.”

Pearl swiped her thumb across his cheek to wipe away his tears, “You will never be a burden, Steven.” She smiled.

“Never.” Amethyst hugged him tightly.

Steven looked at them as they smiled at him. A comforting warmth filled him as he took them all in a tight embrace. For the first time, in a very long time he felt happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are the final chapter. This fic has been amazing to write and reading everyones comments as the story unfolds has fueled me >:3 I've never written anything to this scale before and I'm gonna to continue it into a small epilogue exploring the aftermath of Steven's corruption with a bit more focus on Steven and Connie. I'm definitely not done with this theory yet, there's so many ideas being thrown around that I'm really interested in writing so stay tuned for that!!
> 
> Thank you so much to everyone who left me nice comments and screamed to death at the angsty parts afsgdgahfhj you're all amazing! ❤❤❤

**Author's Note:**

> I saw this theory on Tumblr and I was so excited about it I just h a d to write something for it! Corruption has always been a part of Steven Universe that I was super interested in and I thought it would be an interesting way to force Steven to deal with his own problems. This is a very out there theory that probably won't even happen but let me dream lmao
> 
> also someone give this boy a hug


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